Aground on St. Thomas by Rebecca M. Hale

British territory, why not use it in the US Virgin Islands?
    •
    THE CASE AGAINST the USVI Governor and the Legislative Assembly came together quickly. The parallels with the situation in the Turks and Caicos were too numerous to be ignored. While the Governor was not as showy with his allegedly ill-gotten wealth, the bribery allegations were nearly identical in substance and scope.
    The attorney general had worried endlessly over the matter. An indictment of the entire USVI government would look bad for his president, who had numerous ties to the islands, but—as Wendy had pointedly reminded him only the day before—the president was halfway through his second term in office. The AG had his own reputation to think about.
    Over the past several months, the president’s administration had been plagued by an endless stream of leaks. The released information had included sensitive details about several of the justice department’s ongoing investigations.
    If the AG declined to prosecute the USVI Governor and the Washington press corps found out, he would be in for a public grilling of epic proportions.
    In the end, he felt he had no choice.
    The portfolio of evidence was irrefutable. The primary witness was one of the Governor’s closest aides. The whistleblower had provided voluminous testimony that was buttressed by a slew of incriminating documents. It was one of the most ironclad indictments against a politician the department had ever handled.
    And, of course, they couldn’t give the British an excuse to call their American cousins complacent.
    After a vigorous evaluation and several tense discussions with the president, the AG had reluctantly given the action a green light.
    It was a decision he already regretted.
    But once started, the process could not easily be undone.
    •
    FROM THE GET-GO, the prosecution was fraught with difficulties. There was no budget for a full-scale military action. The arrests would have to be handled by the FBI, using the utmost discretion and respect for the affected islanders. A small number of National Guard troops had been allocated to provide support, but they had been told they were unlikely to see any action and that they were essentially going on a tropical vacation.
    Wendy had met up with the FBI team when the navy vessel docked at the cruise ship pier earlier that morning. As the justice department liaison, she had been on-site ever since, monitoring events.
    So far, her reports had not brought good news.
    Snippets of their phone conversations, the last one ended moments before, replayed in the attorney general’s head.
    “It looks like two senators managed to escape from the Legislature Building, Bobo and Sanchez.”
    The AG had stroked his chin, pondering. “Well, that’s not so bad. They were low on our list of priorities anyway.”
    The next call had caused him to fluster.
    “A couple of local DJs are stirring things up with their on-air commentary. I’m afraid they’re calling this a federal invasion.”
    “I thought we had clearance to shut down all local broadcasts while the feds were moving in. Why are they still on the air? KRAT? What kind of a radio station goes by the call letters of a rodent?”
    The third report generated stomach-churning consternation.
    “Hightower arrested the wrong governor!? How did that happen? Doesn’t he know what the man looks like?”
    The last call, he had received with exhausted resignation.
    “A flight from Miami just landed? How did they get clearance to take off from Florida? Should you send them back? No, that’ll get too complicated. Let the people off the plane, but tell them the city’s been shut down. Make them register their whereabouts. We’ve got bigger problems to deal with.”
    The mental recap caused the AG to dig divots into the side of his head.
    He directed his next comment to the framed photo of the retriever.
    “The Brits would never have called it Operation Coconut.”
    Groaning, he pulled open a desk